“······Hah. Hahaa. Hahak.”
Mi Jeong lets out rough breaths repeatedly.
Clearly, this is not her usual self.
Every breath makes her body twitch, and she can’t calm her excited state.
“Mi Jeong?”
“······Huh.”
As soon as I call her name briefly, Mi Jeong turns her head this way.
Her breathing sounds like a beast’s, and her posture suggests she’s about to pounce.
From her uniquely glowing eyes, there’s not a hint of reason to be found.
Only instinct, and that primal instinct of hunger captures her gaze.
I try to get into a defensive stance just in case, but my body doesn’t listen.
Thanks to mana exhaustion, no matter how hard I try to move, lying on the ground and wiggling is my best option.
“Hey. It’s not what it looks like, right? Huh?”
“······Yoo Jin.”
“Yeah, it’s me. Get a grip.”
“······I want to eat.”
“Ah.”
Swish.
In an instant, Mi Jeong jumps at me.
Whether I’m slow or Mi Jeong is fast, I have no idea.
Before I can react, she shoves me and pounces on top of me.
“Hey! I’m your master! Calm down!”
“······Kyaa.”
Mi Jeong opens her mouth and drools.
Soon, she unbuttons my shirt in a flash and exposes my nape.
Then she grabs my shoulders with both hands to hold me down and slowly brings her mouth to my nape.
I’m screwed.
I’m going to be eaten by my own slave.
Ah, but I got her for free, so maybe it doesn’t count.
Regardless, the feeling of powerlessness that I can do nothing in this situation hits me, and as I tightly close my eyes…
“······Hmph. Choo, slurp. Nyam nyam.”
Instead of the intense pain of flesh being torn from my neck, I feel the familiar sensation of nibbling.
It’s definitely a stronger bite than usual.
However, it’s far from the extreme agony I had envisioned.
Unable to control her instincts, she’s drooling all over me.
Like predators, she’s shaking her head left and right as if trying to rip my wound wider.
But, there’s something to note: without sharp fangs, her actions aren’t that threatening.
“······Hah, gulp! Nyam, munch munch.”
Since she couldn’t bite down, she starts to go absolutely wild.
Nibble, lick, shake.
Mi Jeong desperately hunts for my neck like someone on the brink of dying of thirst who’s just found a broken faucet.
At this point, I realize.
I misjudged her.
Mi Jeong isn’t trying to eat me.
[Stats]
[Strength: 13(x5) *Guardian Knight effect activated]
[Stamina: 15(x5) *Guardian Knight effect activated]
[Mana: 43(x5) *Guardian Knight effect activated]
[Aggility: 18(x5) *Guardian Knight effect activated]
[Luck: 14(x5) *Guardian Knight effect activated]
The Guardian Knight effect is still active without a hitch.
This means Mi Jeong still recognizes me as her ‘protector.’
I thought her instincts as a Blood Ghoul had awakened, and she was coming at me to bite me to death…but…
“Hey. Get off.”
“······Huh.”
As I commanded softly,
Mi Jeong stops her biting, as if some sanity returned, and wipes the drool from her mouth, rising back up.
“Just sit quietly. I’ll bleed for you.”
“······Okay.”
With a glimmer of sanity in her eyes, Mi Jeong replies.
Then she quickly shifts off me and kneels on the floor, waiting in a somewhat obedient posture.
However, she’s not quite calm, as her rear keeps wiggling, unable to stay still.
Drool still drips from her mouth.
Her gaze, mixed with instinct and reason, is implanted in my arm where the veins are prominent.
It feels like watching a young puppy that just learned “wait.”
“Ugh…”
Am I really going to have to feed her at the risk of mana exhaustion?
As thoughts of despair wash over me for a moment, I take out my dagger and slash at the vein in my elbow.
Then, crimson blood pours down my arm and soaks the ground.
Mi Jeong, unable to contain herself at the falling blood, is about to leap forward…
“Stay still!”
“······Ugh.”
With one bellow, she plops back down to the floor.
In the meantime, more blood droplets hit the ground.
As if seeing precious meat fall, Mi Jeong’s eyes gradually fill with longing as she watches the dripping blood.
‘Now’s my chance for some training.’
Come to think of it, this little one has been entirely lacking in table manners since the beginning.
Not a word, just shoving my finger into her mouth.
Biting my nape and incessantly placing her mouth on me.
Literally trying to make a meal out of me while growling right in front of me.
It may be a bit late in the game, but now’s the time to teach her proper etiquette.
For now, she has no fangs and her instincts aren’t very strong, so it hasn’t turned into a big problem, but that won’t always be the case.
It’s better to prevent a bigger issue from arising ahead of time.
“Now eat.”
“······Hah!”
Whoosh.
In an instant, Mi Jeong rushes and bites into my elbow, sucking continuously.
Her gaze flickers up to observe me, as if checking for my approval, but it resembles more the eyes of a baby with a bottle than a ferocious beast.
At times like this, she truly looks like an angel.
A deep sigh escapes me.
“······Gulp, Hah. Nyam.”
The ‘meal’ continues for a long while.
Usually, it only takes about 1-2 minutes for her to be satisfied and let go.
But this time, she keeps at it for over 10 minutes.
I must’ve really exhausted a lot of energy this time.
“Were you satisfied?”
“······Yeah.”
Wiping away the drool from her mouth, Mi Jeong takes a step back.
As if nothing happened, she gives a blank expression with no desires at all.
I glare at her in disbelief, and she looks away shyly.
“You were really having a blast, huh? I didn’t know you were that strong.”
“······.”
With food served, it’s time for me to lie back down on the floor and recover my stamina.
However, Mi Jeong doesn’t respond to my words but simply turns her back to me.
Just a moment ago, she had been gleefully smashing Belphegor, using mana.
While it looked weak against Belphegor, a regular person would’ve had their skull crushed.
After expending that much energy, she goes berserk and bites even her master, which is problematic.
Ah, but that’s the biggest issue, isn’t it?
The reason Mi Jeong suddenly awakened is…
‘It’s that Mana Stone, isn’t it?’
The ring embedded with the red mana stone.
It seems likely that she gained the ability to use mana thanks to that.
I should confirm this.
“Hey. Hand me the ring.”
“······Okay.”
Mi Jeong obediently takes off the ring and hands it to me.
As I touch the mana stone, I sense a strange mana faintly seeping into the internal gem.
It must be Mi Jeong’s mana.
This is second-hand now.
Mana stones are consumables, after all.
“Try swinging that wooden club against a rock, like before.”
“······Uuuh! Like this?”
Thump.
Using every muscle in her face, Mi Jeong struggles to lift the wooden club and smashes it down onto the rock.
But as soon as the wooden club touches the stone, it bounces back, causing Mi Jeong to fall backward.
“······Huh?”
Her expression is one of confusion.
She seemed strong just a moment ago; why is it like this?
I beckon Mi Jeong to come back and put the ring on her finger again.
“Now try again.”
“······Okay.”
BANG.
She easily lifts it one-handed and, as the wooden club collides, the rock shatters into pieces.
Just as expected.
It seems Mi Jeong possesses her own mana, but without the mana stone, she can’t utilize it at all.
‘But where’s that mana coming from?’
That raises a question.
According to the lore, the original mana is generated by a living heart.
So, where’s Mi Jeong’s mana coming from if her heart has stopped?
“You, come here. Suck my blood just one more time.”
“······Okay.”
Honestly, there’s nothing but my blood going into Mi Jeong from the outside.
It must mean she’s charging her mana through my blood.
To test my hypothesis, I grab her lips and open her mouth.
“See if your mana fills up.”
“······Auh. Mana… is filling up.”
“What?”
Before I could feed her blood, she starts mumbling weird things.
Dumbfounded, I pull my hand away.
“······Now… it’s not filling.”
So now it’s not filling up, huh?
That’s when the mystery started to unravel.
I gently place my hand on Mi Jeong’s head and slowly stroke it.
As I move my hand, her head bobbles back and forth unexpectedly.
“How about now?”
“······It’s filling.”
“Now?”
“······Faster, it’s filling.”
“Now?”
“······Super fast, it’s filling ooh.”
As I increase the speed of my strokes, her mana fills up more rapidly.
This can’t be.
So physical contact, not my blood, was the means for mana charging!
The blood was just a means to replenish her energy, and it seems the contact from sucking blood charged her mana.
Who set this up?
For sure, that guy’s got to be a moron.
“Still, it’s quite convenient, isn’t it? A slave that gets stronger just from petting her head. But how much has filled up so far?”
“······About 0.1%.”
“What…?”
So I’d have to keep stroking her head about 999 more times to fully charge it.
My vision blurs from the thought.
*
“Just a quick stroll…”
“My lady, it’s dangerous outside.”
“You should stay indoors, considering your condition.”
“······.”
A lot of time has passed.
It’s already been 2 hours since Lawrence and Yoo Jin left the mansion.
Yet, still no news.
A bad feeling washes over me, but there’s nothing I can do.
I can only sit and wait in my room.
Wishing for his victory endlessly.
“What? Someone died?”
“The head of the family came back… in pieces…?”
“This damn mercenary!”
Just as the first floor starts to grow loud,
I finally realize.
Yoo Jin has won.
And Lawrence is dead.
“What is happening?”
“My lady…”
Now, no one can tie me down.
Even if I open the door and step out, no one can stop me.
My steps, holding my dress, descend the stairs quicker.
I may not be able to hide the ecstasy carved on my face.
Yet soon, I notice something odd, and my pace slows.
‘So what about Yoo Jin?’
Yoo Jin was to kill Lawrence, and I would then help Yoo Jin later.
But I never once questioned how he would kill him.
What on earth could’ve allowed him to kill Cologne’s mayor without being caught?
‘Ah.’
I quickly realize.
Yoo Jin never intended to avoid being caught in the first place.
He boldly killed Lawrence and intended to get captured.
That could be the only explanation.
‘For me…?’
Thud. Clunk.
The moment I reach the bottom of the stairs.
As soon as I understand everything, my heart sinks.
Yoo Jin chose to sacrifice himself for me.
To save me.
To liberate me.
“This is the Dungeon Core, and this is your family’s head.”
“Oh my goodness! What is happening! Oh dear lord! Oh no!”
“This murderer! Call the police! Police!”
“You don’t have to! I’ve already called the bishop.”
The yard is noisy.
In the midst of the gathered crowd, Yoo Jin’s calm voice rings out.
To cause all of this and decide not to escape but instead willingly get caught.
Could this also be for me?
Was he hoping to clear my suspicion by willingly getting caught?
“Yoo…”
My throat chokes as I struggle to speak.
Right. This name was a secret.
Swallowing the name back down, I step forward.
What can I possibly say to the man who gave up everything for me?
How can I express my gratitude?
This thought is unfamiliar, dizzying.
“Bishop! You’ve arrived! Quickly take this guy away!”
“This is a heinous murderer! The one who brutally mutilated Mayor Briam!”
“Be quiet. We need to confirm certain things first.”
The crowd descends into silence in an instant.
As the bishop steps in, he opens the blood-soaked sack in the center.
Inside, a dismembered body is revealed.
The already mangled head barely resembles a recognizable face.
“Wew! Ugh!”
“You bastard! How could you do this to someone you just served dinner to?!”
People around begin to vomit, yelling at Yoo Jin.
Yet, in the midst of it all, Yoo Jin just stands there quietly.
The bishop, examining the body, breaks his silence.
“It’s confirmed. There are signs of demonic possession.”
“Uh? Bishop, what do you mean…?”
“I came upon request from the mercenary for a field inspection. It appears that Mayor Lawrence Briam’s body was possessed by a demon, forcing him to engage in combat inside the dungeon. After a strenuous battle, he managed to defeat the demon; indeed, that seems to be the case.”
“······.”
No one can easily speak up.
The hands that were clutching Yoo Jin’s collar slip one by one.
I finally begin to grasp the situation.
Yoo Jin didn’t lack any thoughts.
He had known everything from the start.
With awe swelling in my heart, I send him a look, and he gazes back.
“······.”
As I ponder its meaning, I realize it’s not only him looking at me.
Soon, everyone’s eyes are focused on me.
The bishop slightly bows his head and quietly asks.
“Then, Count’s Deputy, do you have anything to say?”
“Ah······.”
My title has changed.
Count’s Deputy.
Indeed, Lawrence is dead.
I’ve officially taken his place as Count.
With that realization, the first emotion to rise within me is rage.
Butler. Coachman. Maid head. Maid. Cook. Knight…
Every person I lock eyes with presents only repulsive faces.
These people.
Even when I asked for help, they never once listened.
Everyone was indifferent.
They swore loyalty to Lawrence but locked me in a room even in his absence.
Stealing letters to censor them.
Acting as if they could not hear my screams…
They’re all in cahoots.
They’re all the same kind of scum.
“As Count’s Deputy, I command. All employees of the mansion. Dismissed.”
“What? My lady, you must be kidding!”
“You can’t just do this out of nowhere, my lady! You don’t intend to leave us on the street, surely…?”
“And I’ll hand you all over to the Inquisition. You’re likely the henchmen who conspired with demons; who knows what else could be lurking among you. Bishop, feel free to handle them as you see fit.”
“Yes, Count’s Deputy. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“My lady?! What are you talking about?!”
“Please, let us live!”
“······.”
The holy knights close in on the employees.
Realizing their plight, they begin to plead, but it’s already too late.
The revenge has only just begun.
